Hard Disk problem- any suggestions?

Tonight I was using my powerbook and noticed some slowing down of normal file activity and had to force quit some applications after getting no response to enable a restart. The restart took forever and the HD semed to be making a "buzzing" noise, different to usual. The restart took a lot longer between the normal steps and after finally getting to the log in window and entering my password, it got to the end of the OSX loading window and no further. I loaded my OS Tiger install DVD and booted again with the "C" down and it eventually loaded. Opened Disk Utility and ran the Disk Repair option but noticed that my HD name had changed to "diskOs3" which didn't look good! Eventually the DU scan came to a halt with red text stating "Volume check failed. Error:the underlying task reported failure on exit. 1 HFS Volume checked. 1 volume could not be repaired because of an error."
I then tried to connect it to my Powermac G4 in Taget disk Mode but the Powerbook HD did not mount on the desktop, and trying DU from the Powermac also did not see the HD. I had a go using TechTool from the Powermac but no sign of the HD. I then spent a few hours reading through the Apple Powerbook discussions, downloaded and tried SupaDuper which could not see the Powerbook HD. I have a Silverkeeper backup of the drive a fortnight old so there is not much new stuff that I am worried about, as my complete iPhoto library is on an external USB drive now (ran out of room), so my question to the group is basically is there anything else I should try to revive the HD or do the symptoms declare its dead and I just fit a new bigger HD? I still have a few months to go with my 3 year Applecare cover so that may cover a replacement HD anyway.
Thanks!

Thanks for your suggestions. The Applecare version of TechTool Deluxe I used did alert me to the fact that it needed to be upgraded before it would run under os 10.4.9. I was only able to run it from my Powermac (with Powerbook connected by firewire) as when i tried to create a new bootable CD with the updated TechTool I was told that not all the contents of the Applecare CD could be copied due to some files having special permissions. I downloaded Prosoft's Data Rescue II as suggested and ran it on my Powermac after connecting the Powerbook using firewire target disk mode. The Powerbok HD did not mount on the desktop and Data Rescue II seemed unable to find and mount it in expert mode, so it would seem to confirm that the HD has truly DIED and there may well be no purpose in trying to resusitate it. It must be the season for HD failures - my Powermac HD died only two weeks ago, a day after having updated my backup!

Similar Messages

  • Hard Disk Problems - Any ideas anyone??

    I recently replaced my ibook's HD with a new one, every thing has been fine until just recently. Mysteriously on my control click menus and other pop up windows like save and open, all system text has turned into code. use the following url for an example http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y218/whatapileof/menu.jpg . The text is now N21 and things like that. Any ideas? When i tried to do a HD repair in disc utility, the permissions are fine but when i repair the disc it fails each time. I have tried to reinstall the OS but that also fails. I am guessing that the menu text and this repair issue are hand-in-hand. Only thing i can think of is doing a re-format. There’s no other issues that i can spot and the problem is bearable. Im used to doing reformats with windows. never thought i would have to with OSX though. Any ideas how to avoid?? Cheers.
    Intel iMac 1.83GHz   Mac OS X (10.4.7)   iBook G4, Cube G4, iMac G3

    How did you install your OS onto the new hard drive? Did you do a clean install or did you use one of those disk cloning utilities?
    Have you tried creating a new user and seeing if that new user also has this problem? If you restored your Library folder from an old OS installation, it could have corrupted some Finder preference.
    If all else fails, do is re-format and re-install from scratch.
    I have never seen this before. See if a new user has the same problem. If that doesn't help, since it is bearable, wait a few days and see if someone else reponds to this message and knows a quick fix. If that doesn't happen re-format and re-install.

  • Hard disk problems after full upgrade [SOLVED]

    After a full upgrage (pacman -Suy) last monday, My system denied to boot:D:D:D:D:D.
    So to fix it I have to go to /boot/grub/menu.list and change from hda3 to sda3. Everything seems to be Ok but when the system is booting and scan the the hard disk to check bad, It drops me to the shell with the error that there is something wrong with my hard disk and it suggest me to set the superblock to 8139.
    So to fix it I boot my PC from Arch live CD, use the following command:
    #fsck.ext3 -c -f /dev/sda3
    #fsck.ext3 -b 8139
    Everything seems to be Ok, there is no bad in my hard disk.
    When I boot my system again, I got the same error again, I came back to live CD, check the hard disk, set the superblock as It told me and again, I got the error when I boot from the hard disk.
    This is the second PC with the same error.
    Three months ago, I upgraded my Server and got exactly the same problem. Because this is the server, I need it run ASAP, so I modified the rc.sysinit script so that the system will not check my hard disk when It boots. :P:P. And my Server can run without any problems since then.
    I don't have time much to spend on this error and my PC is in the Lab now so I can't provide the detail of the error until next Monday. Sorry for that.
    Any idea how to fix this error?
    Cheers.
    Last edited by hungsonbk (2008-06-25 10:26:35)

    tigrmesh wrote:Did you review and merge any .pacnew files after the upgrade?
    :D:D I am a kind of lazy guy so when I did pacman -Suy, I just leave it running without reading information on the terminal.
    milan wrote:I guess you didn't change entries in /etc/fstab (hda->sda).
    Yes, you are right. I changed from hda to sda in /boot/grub/menu.lst but I forgot to do the same in /etc/fstab files. On Monday I will check again if it is set correctly or not
    :D:D. I have just taken a quick look into the fstab file in my Server, The One with the same problem three months ago, and the fstab file is set correctly with sda partitions. I don't want to touch this server again or my services will be down. So this seems not the correct solution, but anyway, I will take a look at it next week.
    Thanks for your replies.

  • MBA hard disk problems

    I appear to be having hard disk problems and would appreciate any suggestions as to how to determine what the cause might be.
    It began when the MBA late 2008 with 10.6.6 would not startup, just an endless cog wheel. Using the installation disk I found that the disk repair utility identified that the MBA hard disk was corrupted and the repair utility couldn't repair it.
    I deleted the contents of the MBA disk verified the disk and reinstalled the system software and all my other programmes and files.
    (This took about a day as I did not have a backup of the MBA but I did have the files and programmes on other disks etc. (Never again - I bought an external hard disk so that I could have a copy of the installation disc on it and also a backup of the MBA and all the system software updates.)
    All has been well for a couple of weeks until today when the MBA would not start. For the first time in my life I saw a message covering most of the screen saying "Will not start up - turn the computer off by holding down the power button until it turns off and then restart the computer" or something similar.
    Needless to say the computer refused to restart and again after looking at the MBA disk with the disk utility it required repair and again the repair utility said it could not complete the repair.
    Wiped the MBA disk again and reinstalled and restored the programmes and files. (so much easier with the install image and backup on an external hard disk and Time Machine is tremendous).
    So the MBA appears to be back to normal.
    But will it stop again? It the hard disk flawed or fundamentally corrupted?
    I have verified the hard disk with the apple disk utility and also with onyx. Both say it appears to be ok.
    Any suggestions as to how to work out what if anything is going wrong would be much appreciated.

    When I said verified I meant that I ran the verify and repair command in the apple disk utility and also ran both the smart status in onyx and additionally the verification command in onyx.
    Just to clarify the second occasion that the MBA would not startup falls under the category of “You need to restart your computer” which indicates a indicates a “kernel panic”.

  • My 13" macbook just stopped working. When you turn it on you get a white screen and hear a repetitive clicking sound on the left side. Is this the hard drive? Any suggestions on replacement drives?

    My 13" macbook just stopped working. When you turn it on you get a white screen and hear a repetitive clicking sound on the left side. Is this the hard drive? Any suggestions on replacement drives?
    Thanks

    Put your install DVD into the optical drive (CD/DVD drive) and reboot. Be sure to either use the disc that came with your Mac, or, if you installed a later Mac OS X version from disc, use the newer disc. As soon as you hear the boot chime, hold down the "c" key on your keyboard (or the Option Key until the Install Disk shows up) until the apple shows up. That will force your MacBook to boot from the install DVD in the optical drive.
    When it does start up, you'll see a panel asking you to choose your language. Choose your language and press the Return key on your keyboard once. It will then present you with an Installation window. Completely ignore this window and click on Utilities in the top menu and scroll down to Disk Utility and click it. When it comes up is your Hard Drive in the list on the left?
    If it is, then click on the Mac OS partition of your hard drive in the left hand list. Then select the First Aid Tab and run Repair Disk. The Repair Disk button won't be available until you've clicked on the Mac OS partition on your hard drive. If that repairs any problems run it again until the green OK appears and then run Repair Permissions. After repairing use Startup Disk from the same menu to choose your hard drive for restarting from your hard drive.
    If your hard drive isn’t recognized in Disk Utility then your hard drive is probably dead.

  • Showing hard disk problem

    i have a laptop with model compaq 6720s.From last 2 days it is showing a pop up message that windows has detected a hard disk problem.I have run it in safe mode.But there is no message coming.So how can i check whether my hard disk is ok or not or i ve to go to any service centre? Can any body help me regarding this?

    i had purchased it last year through loan and this year i faced hard disk problem not even it is 1.6 yrs.Also before that i had faced many plm like cannot install XP ,cannot install real player, VLC player.If  this system has so much compatible ploblem why ur company is making such type of things.i made a great mistake on purchasing ur product.I will never suggest any body to purchase HP product.Purchasing hp products means weastage of money and time also taking unnecessary headach.

  • Snow Leopard and hard disk problems?

    This may just be a coincidence but I and several colleagues have had problems with Macs over the past week.
    a) My Macbook Pro lost the date/time and wi-fi settings. Next reboot wi-fi was still lost. Now seems OK again.
    b) At times my 24" iMac is running slowly when nothing seems to be hogging resources (eg just copying a 3Gb file to an external hard disk). Time Machine also seems to be taking much longer to backup.
    c) Hard disk failed on a Macbook Pro of a colleague
    d) iMac 27" seems to be having severe hard disk problems for another colleague - Applecare will be visiting after trying numerous fixes over the phone.
    On my machines I have run the Cocktail suite (permissions, scripts and caches) Disk Utility Repair and Techtools Deluxe (no reported problems) but the iMac problems seem to creep back.
    It is like a disk caching process (or Spotlight?) is not cleaning up properly and is clagging up the system. Or maybe a hard disk is close to failure but the problem is not severe enough to show up in diagnostics? In any case I am diligent about backing up at the moment!

    Or maybe a hard disk is close to failure but the problem is not severe enough to show up in diagnostics?
    Common symptoms of a dying hard drive
    Hard drive is making a clicking, whirring, grinding, ping pong ball noise or any other type of unusal noises.
    Hard drive is not spinning.
    Computer is not recognizing the hard drive.
    Sluggish loading of applications.
    System freezes and hangs.
    An interesting site - Hard Drive Sounds by drive manufacturer.
    How much hard drive space do you have left?
    Disk Inventory X
    OmniDiskSweeper
    WhatSize
    SpaceControl
    Disconnect all peripherals from your computer. Boot from your install disc & run _*Repair Disk*_ from the utility menu. To use the Install Mac OS X disc, insert the disc, and restart your computer while holding down the C key as it starts up.
    Select your language.
    Once on the desktop, select Utility in the menu bar.
    Select *Disk Utility.*
    Select the disk or volume in the list of disks and volumes, and then click *First Aid.*
    Click _*Repair Disk.*_
    Restart your computer when done.
    Repair permissions after you reach the desktop-http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=25751

  • Window detected a hard disk Problem on my Satellite L505-S5988

    Hi,
    I have a Toshiba Satellite L505-S5988 with window 7 Home Premium 09 Service pack 1.  It is 2+ years old and my hard drive is Toshiba MK3263GSX 287GB.  Lately, I got a window warning message as “ Windows detected a hard disk Problem.  Back up your files immediately to prevent information loss, and then contact the computer manufacturer to determine if you need to repair or place the disk…..  The following hard disks are reporting failure:  Disk Name: TOSHIBA MK3263GSX Volume: C:\  “. 
    Since then, I have imaged my laptop and run malware/spyware softwares, and it looks like my computer is clean.  The laptop device manager said my hard drive is working properly.  However the warning keeps pops up.  I opened Administrative Event Viewer and found the below warning:
    “Log Name: System,   Source: Disk,    Event ID: 52.
    The driver has detected that device \Device\Harddisk0\DR0 has predicted that it will fail. Immediately back up your data and replace your hard disk drive. A failure may be imminent.”
    EventData
    \Device\Harddisk0\DR0
    0E00030001000000000000003400048002000000000000000000000000112
    D000000000000000000000000
    Besides this warning,  there are also other errors and warnings back to years ago, such as AFS failed to load, print service…  Despite all these errors and warnings, my laptop seems to be running OK.  I was not prevented from doing anything that I usually do.
    Questions:
    Is there a tool I can run to verify that my hard drive is truly bad?
    Can any tool further identify where?
    Can it be repaired? Reformat? Or I have to replace with a new one?
    What options I have if I have to replace with a new one?
    What is average cost of it?
    Any help will be highly appreciated.

    Satellite L505-S5988
    Event ID: 52 - Source: Disk
    ..the warning keeps pops up.
    That's good enough for me. I would replace the disk.
    You can verify it with the free trial of HD Tune.
    -Jerry

  • Recurring iMac G5 Hard Disk problem and worthless AppleCare

    Hello all! I have a recurring iMac G5 2Ghz (20-inch) Hard Disk problem.
    I bought my parents, aged 52 and 55, an iMac last summer. Hoping this would be their solution to a hassle free and easy computer environment, since I would leave for China for about 1 year. But last month the hard drisk crashed and could not be fixed.
    At first the start up speed slowed down, then the start up process would continue infinitely, then the computer just booted into a screen with a question mark.
    I have a AppleCare Protection Plan (APP) and so I called the Help Desk and they put me in touch with a Service Center (Sittard, the Netherlands). Now I thought, since I live within the proper range of at least 3 service centers (Heerlen, the Netherlands), I could get on-site support (as stated in APP), unfortunately for unknown reasons, my parents had to drag the 20 inch monster to the service center.
    Normally the repair should take 2 days, but instead it took 10 working days. My dad naturally asked, if they could restore the data on the disk. This was only possible if we paid about 2000 euro. So, no deal!
    After picking the iMac up again, the computer booted into the Mac OS installation. This again surprised me, since according to the APP they should at least put some effort into restoring the applications. Not even iLife was pre-installed, which was of course on the computer when we bought it. Next to that the Service Center's Mac OS installation disc was still in the drive; how careless!
    They were quite sad about the lost data, but accepted it, as we all know that these things can happen to electronics. BUT today, the same problem recurred! First the start up process slowed down and now (again) it tries to start up infinitely.
    The hard disk is brand new (1 month), no strange programs and no abnormal use. According to the diagnostic tools the file structure is damaged, but it seems to keep getting worse. The Apple Help Desk guy was even surprised this happened to a brand new disk and installation. He recommended reinstalling the system.
    But, I'm not happy with this solution! A hard disk breaking down, is one thing. But the same problem recurring 1 month later made a couple of alarm bells go off. I'm hoping Apple will consider replacing this machine from **** with a brand new iMac. Since my parents are scared ********, that whatever document they type today might disappear again tomorrow. This is not a comfortable computing experience.
    By the way: the computer has only basic software: Microsoft Office, Skype and iLife and my parents only use those programs, surf the net and send email.
    Any of you had a similar bad experience with the iMac's hard disk, AppleCare or any of Apple's Service Centers? Or does anyone know how to reach Apple by email?
    iMac 20 G5 2Ghz   Mac OS X (10.4.6)  

    I had a similar problem with my 20" 2Ghz iMac.
    After replacing the HD and the next 'going bad' the tech realized there was a different problem.
    After discussing it, and the distance to an authorized repairer he offered on-site repair.
    After a lengthy parts delay I was offered an upgrade to a iSight iMac.
    The tech narrowed my problem down to a faulty logic board before offering a replacement. He could have been wrong but it seemed logical with all of the same symptoms.
    Press your AppleCare to replace this computer. They are going to try and repair but insist if this fix doesn't work you want a new iMac.
    I hope everything works out for you.
    Edit: There is a great program that Apple techs recommend called DiskWarrior. It did not fix my problem but it allowed me to get my most important info off of the computer before it went to computer heaven. Might not work for all but it works well for me as I still use it today.

  • 90DATK-6G96PE-MFGKOK-6OX103. i got this error on hard disk 1. any advice?

    90DATK-6G96PE-MFGKOK-6OX103. i got this error on hard disk 1. any advice?
    This question was solved.
    View Solution.

    Hi,
    This is from DST test with Failure id message. This message simply means the HDD is dead. One option: replace the HDD.
    Sorry.
    BH
    **Click the KUDOS thumb up on the left to say 'Thanks'**
    Make it easier for other people to find solutions by marking a Reply 'Accept as Solution' if it solves your problem.

  • Im my lap has hard disk problem,how to resolve the problem,pls help me...

    Hello,
               I have hp pavilion dv4 lap,in this lap has some hard disk problem,when i am turn on the lap that screen shows this message "The smart hard disk check has detected an imminent failure.To ensure not data loss,please backup the content immediately and run the hard disk test in system diagnostics".
               After that i was diagnostics the system but no changes in the lap,,again again lap shows hard disk error(301).
               Then i  am chosen the enter option to start up the lap it take long time for openning the windows,after enter the windows that also shows about the hard disk  error in within few minitues,
               What can i do?
               This lap bought at 12-oct-2012 from malasiya,now im in tamil nadu,how to solve the problem please help me.

    Hello srhk. Thank you for posting on the HP Forums.
    I understand the hard disk is experiencing issues. Error 301 indicates the hard disk possesses a hardware defect. I would contact HP Phone Support for assistance, or purchase an equivalent hard disk.
    If you choose to contact HP, their options will be based on the warranty status of the computer. If you do not have this information, you can locate it at this website: http://h20566.www2.hp.com/portal/site/hpsc/public/wc/home?ac.admitted=1384280905804.876444892.199480...
    You can utilize this website to learn how to contact HP appropriately, based on your region: http://www8.hp.com/us/en/contact-hp/ww-contact-us.html
    Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns.
    Mario
    I worked on behalf of HP.

  • Satellite L55-A5299 Hard Disk Problem

    My laptop  has a pop-up saying Windows detected a hard disk problem, I have already backed up my stuff. I also did a complete restore of the laptop and that still didn't make it go away. What do I have to do?

    Hi Ishaan,
    I have already backed up my stuff. I also did a complete restore of the laptop and that still didn;t make it go away.
    I just want to verify the word "complete restore" does it mean wiping the entire computer back to factory settings?
    On my own option this is something to do about the internal hdd that is to became failing. So I would suggest if you still have warranty of your laptop contact toshiba # 1800.457.7777 business time 8am-2am the following day EST. Or if the laptop doesnt have warranty anymore, better buy a new hdd.
    Hope this will work for you. ^_^
    BTW IF YOU THINK IT HELPS ALOT. PLEASE DONT BE AFRAID TO CLICK KUDOS star ^_^
    - cokies

  • Help needed Hard disk Problem

    I am not very computer Savoy!. But every time I turn my laptop on it keeps freezing up on me and I get a massage that says I am having a Hard Disk Problem and that I should back up all my files before the computer crashes. And I would like to what I should do to fix this? I thought that I could reload my operating system but my computer did not come with that disk and I can't seem to find it here on this web site. Any idea's?

    Without knowing specifically which model you have it's difficult to tell for sure, but most Toshiba's made in the past few years come with a Recovery Partition.  You can invoke the Recovery Process by holding down the 0 (zero) key while turning the computer on and holding it down until the Recovery Process starts.  You can also create a set of Recover Disks from the Recovery partiton by going to "Start - All Programs - Toshiba - Recovery - Recovery Disk Creator". 
    As for the error message about Hard Disk Problem, that could mean that the hard drive is starting to malfuncion and will soon stop functioning at all.  You need to determince what brand of hard drive your's is, go to that companies support site, download their Diagnostic Program, install it, and run the most exhaustive test to determine if it is failing or not. 
    And please backup you important data as soon as humanly possible as there is a good chance you will lose it forever.
    If you don't post your COMPLETE model number it's very difficult to assist you. Please try to post in complete sentences with punctuation, capitals, and correct spelling. Toshiba does NOT provide any direct support in these forums. All support is User to User in their spare time.

  • Hard Disk Problems Detected

    Hard Disk Problems Detected
    A hard disk is reporting health problems.
    I get this message. I have triple boot (Arch, Ubuntu & Windows) and I don't get any error messages on the other two OSs. The error is for my 1.0TB internal HDD and the SMART status is: DISK HAS MANY BAD SECTORS.
    Any ideas on why I get that message or how to disable it?
    Thanks in advance.

    If your drive supports self-tests, perform a long one and review the results:
    http://sourceforge.net/apps/trac/smartm … #Selftests
    If the self-test doesn't confirm bad sectors you should do a system update with pacman.
    Otherwise I'd prepare to back up my data.
    Regards,
    demian

  • Windows has detected a hard disk problem

    I just got a warning from windows that I have a hard disk problem then Toshiba Utility notifies me with the following:
    Disk0
    Your HDD has the SMART Predict Failure function which monitors the HDD operating status. Your HDD is experiencing a problem and SMART monitoring software predicts that the HDD will fail. Toshiba strongly recommends you create a back-up for your HDD data. Then contact an authorized service provider in order to check your drive and purchase a new replacement drive if necessary.
    I have never had problems with a hard disk, all I know is that I should get a backup drive as soon as possible. After I back up my files and everything....what is the next step? Take it to a repair man to fix, get a new harddrive, contact about warranty, what exactly do you do with this kind of situation? Is it fixable?
    System Details:
    Toshiba Satellite L675D-S7052
    Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit

    If you're computer is under warranty, you should contact customer support at (800) 457-7777. The hard drive will need to be replaced.
    - Peter

Maybe you are looking for